Rudolf Day for March

Here are my cards for Sarn's Rudolf Day this month. For the first I used Inkylicious Black Forest stamp, stormy sky distress ink and my ink dusters. I added some glitter and squeezed in a sentiment (Woodware) which looks a little straighter in real life! You know when you wish you hadn't put it there, lol! The papers are snippets from my snippet drawer and have been there forever!!!

My second card features a cute Digi mouse from Digistamp Boutique, coloured in with promarkers and backed on some snippets of digi papers printed out a very long time ago! The papers were from Funky Fairies, and I am sorry to say  are no longer available. The circular sentiment is from Little Claire.
As they both use snippets I am also taking them over to Di's snippet playground.
It is Saturday, so I should have been able to photograph them in daylight, but we spent this morning planning a school trip at Rufford Park, then carried on to see my dad this afternoon. It was such a beautiful day, and we really enjoyed the fresh air!

 It was sunny and warm, and there were so many birds in the trees. Unfortunately I wasn't quick or talented enough to capture them on my camera!

 

I think we will have to go again when the bluebells are out, judging by how many are here! We saw 4 or 5 great spotted woodpeckers chasing each other amongst the tree tops and heard the cries of a buzzard overhead too.

 I really hope it is as good weather when we take 60 children on Thursday! Thanks for looking and I hope you have a wonderful Mother's day - what a shame we have to lose an hour on the day most of us would like an extra hour in bed!

Snippets, Butterflies and Stitching

Over at Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge the theme is stitching this fortnight. I am afraid I missed last time, but I was determined to have a go this time. I have been sorting out my snippets and found a pile of bits in citrus colours. I used my spellbinders nested pennants dies and cut out a whole load of triangles.

I used various gelly roll pens to put faux stitching around the  various shapes and topped it all off with a hero Arts butterfly, glittered and embossed. I had a bit of a rant about glitter containers whilst I was doing it - why put a sprinkle top onto a pot of fine glitter? it means you can't put excess glitter back into the same pot without trying to remove the lid and spilling even more!!! Okay, rant over!
You have probably noticed that I used lots of snippets for this, so I will also take it to Miss Di's snippet playground where I got showcased for my scene last week.
Thank you for all your lovely comments recenly. I am sorry that I only manage to get to visit at weekends at the moment. I seem to have so little time for anything other than school stuff. Feel free to skip to the bottom of the post now to avoid my second rant!

I hope you don't mind but I am going to share another rant. On Wednesday I will be on strike for the third time in my 24 years of teaching (I have another 20 to go before I can retire). I am not striking because of the money or pension I will eventually receive. I am striking because I care about children. I believe children have the right to be taught by someone who is fit enough to do it, including demonstrating forward rolls, skipping and kicking footballs (I won't be at the age of 68). I believe children need to be taught by someone who is enthusiastic about what they are teaching, not feeling constantly bogged down by the ever changing requirements. I believe children at 5 and 6 have a right to be able to play and have fun at school, and can learn important social skills that way, like tolerance, empathy, acceptance of diversity (Sadly lacking in the government). I want the opportunity to spend some time with my own child and share the same holidays. I believe every child should make progress at their own level and pace, and not have to learn things like times tables before they learn to tie their laces. I believe children have a right to an education that nurtures them into a fully rounded healthy individual who isn't considered to be a failure, and is able to enter adulthood without fear, anxiety, anger and intolerance.  Einstein was so right and Michael Gove is so wrong!


 Thanks for looking, and apologies if the teacher's strike affects you. I hope you understand why we are doing it.

Inspired by a photo

Some time ago I found this photo on Pinterest and popped it in my Tree Folder for future inspiration. (Please do take a look at it.) I was intending to try and recreate it soon after, as some of my fellow pinners did, but I ran out of time as usual. I was lacking in the mojo department and went to my pinterest folders for inspiration last night, and when I clicked on this one Mr Mojo leaped out and just about bopped me on the nose! Okay, I will show you! Here is the main image created on silk art card.

I used  my ink dusters, Adirondack inks in sunset orange, sunshine yellow, peach bellini and slate. I also dusted and stamped with memento tuxedo black.There are just three Inkylicious stamps used for this (Black Forest, the birds from Windswept, and Bullrush).  I added a few details with a fine black pen and a white gel pen. I have taken a whole load of photos and the colours look different in every one! I didn't use any blue or purple ink at all!
Here is the whole card.

I took this one by the front window. I left the top left of the base card blank so I can add a sentiment later - it might become a father's day card yet!
And here is the one I took by the back window...

I think this is probably the most accurate colour-wise.
I matted and layered the main image onto some A6 sized scraps of paper that I found in my snippets drawer, so I will take it to the snippets playground and get some fresh air with Miss Di and the girls!
Thanks for all your lovely comments last week. It was a very busy week, but I am hoping things will slow down from now on. Off out in a little while to see Science on Stage which Meg is singing in again this year. 
Thanks for looking!

Diamond Wedding

One of my colleagues asked for a Diamond Wedding card for her parents. Her only suggestions were 'not cute or cuddly and a bit religious'.
This is what I came up with...

 The background was made using Inkylicious lattice background and pearl embossing powder. at the corner of each diamond I added diamond stickles. The church is from a Hobby Art Scene it set, coloured with distress markers and stamped onto a nestie dusted with tea dye distress ink. The sentiment was computer generated.
Here is a close-up of that background

Many thanks for all the lovely comments I have received recently. One day soon I will hopefully get a bit of time to have a good look around blog land, but I need to get next week out of the way first. I have my class parents evenings on Monday and Wednesday, a twilight course till six on Tuesday and Meg's parent's evening on Thursday! That is a lot of talking!!!
Have a good week, everyone and thanks for looking!

Pretty in Pink at Stamping Sensations

Good Morning! It is the first Sunday of the month, and time for a new challenge at Stamping Sensations. This month our theme is  

Pretty in Pink

I am sure most of you realise that I don't tend to do 'pink and girly', in fact I very rarely use pink on it's own, and wasn't sure what to do, but then it came to me! I made a scene in lots of different shade of pink! I know it is a bit unusual, but I think it works okay!  I used my ink dusters and a range of pink inks, namely Adirondack shell pink, Mountain Rose, Cranberry and Watermelon, Impress cherry pink, and memento Lilac Posies. All stamps, ink dusters and mountain /valley stencil are from Inkylicious..That is a lot of Pink ink that I own!!!  If you haven't seen ink dusters before take a look at my ink dusters page which you will find the tab for under the title of my blog.

We have a great prize on offer this month (all three pictures), donated by Stix 2 and the Stamping Sensations DT, take a look!

We hope you will come and join in with the pinkiness over on the challenge blog! Do take a look at my teamie's wonderful and inspiring creations too!
A quick wave and welcome to my new followers. Thanks for joining me on my blogging journey. Thanks for looking!

Rudolf Day!

Oh deer (pun, lol!) I nearly forgot Rudolf Day over on Sarns Blog! I have had a very quick twenty minutes making one layer cards using two set of stamps from Paula Pascual called Joyful bubbles and Large Christmas. I have gone for Aqua, pool and teal inks. I may well go back when the ink is dry and add some glitter, but they will do as they are if I forget!

 Don't look to closely at this first one. I didn't get it very straight!

Two more cards towards next year. I will try and be better prepared in March. Thanks for looking!

Butterflies and flowers

I made it to Mrs A's first Butterfly Challenge just in time! I made a monochromatic card using the Inkylicious Daisy fields stamps, A hero Arts butterfly and a sentiment from Inkylicious. The inks are Shaded lilac Distress ink and Memento Grape Jelly. As the matte and layers and butterfly are all made from snippets I am also taking this to the snippet playground. I am also entering this into Brenda's 5th Bloggerversary draw  where she asks us to use our favourite craft item. Mine is definitely my ink dusters, which I used here to get the lightly shaded and graduated background. I know Brenda loves her butterflies too, so I am sure she will like this one.
Here is a closer view of the butterfly...

I feel the mojo is more or less back to normal now, thank goodness!
Do you want to see what else I have been making?

Feel the calories!!! I made it for one of the Sensei at Karate who gives Meg a lift home from senior class every week, not that we are trying to slow him down or anything, lol! I have offered to make another that we will raffle off to raise funds for trophies and medals, like the one Meg won in December.

As it was half term I have trained at two classes this week and did a karate seminar on Saturday - Five hours of Karate in 3 days. I am pleased to say I can still walk, lol! A few aches and bruises, but nothing serious. I must be fitter than I thought!!!
Thanks for looking and for all your lovely comments.

Snippets for the playground

I am still rather lacking in the mojo department, but rather than stare at craft stuff, I have used the time wisely and got on with preparation for next half term. I did have to make one card though, which is my nephew and his wife's anniversary card. I got my drawer of snippets out and found several pieces that went together, originally from Pink Petticoat. I arranged them on the card and was left with one little hole, which was fine as my sentiment was on a largish nestie that could cover the hole! The sentiment is one from Inkylicious, and I use it for weddings, anniversaries and valentines too! I added some faux stitching to finish it off and a punched flower and leaves.
Right, I've got my waders and I am off to Miss Di's snippet playground to see if I can help with the Ark Building project. There is a roll over week with extra special candy for anyone who enters three times, too. Hopefully I will get round to another couple of entries. Thanks for looking!
P.S. If you are interested Meg has put four of the songs she has written on sound cloud and you can find them by clicking on the picture on the right.

I'm back!

I can't believe it has been over a week since I posted! I have been a bit lacking in the mojo department, and that last week of the half term at school was really busy, including a twilight course, Staff meeting, valentine disco and Governors meeting, all after the school day finished. Needless to say I needed to switch off, and I spent most of Sunday reading (and finishing) a book that I had fallen asleep with several times during the week!
On Monday we were invited to the local Council Chambers where Meg was presented with a copy of the book in which her short story has been published (Proud Mum and Dad moment!).

 Today we decided to take a trip to Dearne Valley and RSPB reserve at Old Moor. We were lucky to have some sun and we saw plenty of birds. It was lovely to get some fresh air and exercise!

 As you can see the sun shone this morning and the blue sky was wonderful! It was a little less bright as the day went on, but we enjoyed watching the shovellers .

 This was a rare moment when their heads were above the water and we could see those magnificent beaks. Most of the time we had this view!

 There were still lots of berries in the hedgerows, but most were past their best now.

They still provided some lovely colour though.
Hope you enjoyed the photos. I will be back soon with some cards hopefully. I am still lacking in ideas, but hopefully a bit of pinterest surfing should sort me out!
Thanks for looking!

Dad's Birthday

Last time I went to see my Dad he had been having a good look through his handmade cards from the past few years. His favourites were his eightieth birthday card (post here showing each of the panels I made for it) and the second card in this post. He likes a scene, lol! So I set to work on this year's birthday card, as it is his birthday tomorrow...

I stamped the scene in Archival Black before dusting with Memento Bahama Blue, Danube Blue and Adirondack Butterscotch inks. The rocks in the foreground are coloured with distress markers(Shades of Brown and grey), the cabin too(Brushed Corduroy). All stamps are from Stampscapes except the birds, which is an Inkylicious stamp. Do those colours make it look tropical? Dad is more of a Lake District fan than warmer climes!
With all those colours beginning with B I had to enter it into Allsorts this week, as that is their theme!
Thanks for looking, and I hope you stay warm and dry with all these storms!

Scary! My Art Journal - a work in progress

I am taking the plunge and sharing with you my first ventures into art journalling. I am not really sure if I know what I am doing or not, but it was a good excuse to try out my portfolio pastels! I haven't written anything - I know that writing is a part of the process, so I will add words, but I quite like what I have done so far and don't want to spoil it!!! If you have any suggestions please let me know!

 I am reasonably pleased with this first one. I like the way the colours blended when I used my water brush on the pastels.

This second one didn't turn out at all as I had imagined it, and I am still not sure I like it. I might have another go and start with the tree. I was inspired by this art, but I think my colours are too bright and not blended enough. I also need to think about using stamps, stencils and paints too!
Thanks for looking!

Wings, fantasy and fiction at Stamping Sensations

This Month at Stamping Sensations we have a theme of Wings, Fantasy and Fiction. I had a big pile of paper coloured with a mixture of sprays - Dylusions, Adirondack Colour washes and Crafty Notions creative colour sprays. These seemed the perfect backdrop to some butterflies and a lovely sentiment from Inkylicious. Stamps in the background are also from inkylicious  stamped in Brilliance Starlight Black.

This month we are being sponsored by Crafty Devils, and this is the wonderful prize they are offering.

Just think of all the super goodies you could get with that! Do pop over to the challenge blog and take a look at all the fabulous inspiration from my lovely teamies. I am really looking forward to seeing all your fabulous creations. Thanks for looking!